Young not intimidated by tobacco wars’ shock and awe tactics

Shock and fear tactics do not encourage young people to quit smoking, according to a B&T Weekly story quoting the results of a study by researchers at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.

And cigarette price increases and restrictions on smoking in public places decrease the desire and intention to quit, the study has found.

But positive campaign strategies, such as the use of opinion leaders, have the strongest impact on the intention to stop smoking, said Dr. Christopher White, of RMIT’sSchoolofEconomics, Finance and Marketing.

“Our analysis showed measures such as smoking restrictions in the workplace and in public places, and ongoing increases to the price of cigarettes, actually significantly weakened the desire to quit,” he said.

“It’s not clear why these measures have this effect, though perhaps they are seen as heavy-handed and are evoking resistance and defiance among young people.”

The RMIT study surveyed 126 smokers aged between 18 and 24 on the impact of a variety of government anti-smoking measures.